Tag: fitness

I have to admit when I look at someone sitting in a hammock I immediately relax. It’s a symbol for instant gratification, reading a book, or daydreaming. It does not remind me of taking that 30 minute walk that I promised to do. A few days ago, I listened to an orator who suggested that the 30 minute walk I take every day is an act of “self♥love”. That’s right. He said, it takes a lot of ‘self♥love’ to exercise, when you really want to do something else. Many of us would not think about it that way. Do you?
Let’s talk about what happens when you take a ‘time-out’ from exercise both for seniors and younger adults. I’m not referring to a day or two. That might be OK, but if you do that for a few weeks, the consequences become much more pervasive. Here are some of the benefits that exercising on a regular basis provides us with: works against Type 2 diabetes; heightened blood sugar; protects against heart disease; lowers “bad” (LDL) cholesterol. As seniors, we are often reminded of these points by our doctors. For younger people, it’s easier to reverse these issues.♥ I try to get close to 10,000 steps a day. This includes a 30 minute walk, which is about 4,000 steps. During the course of the rest of the day, I try to get 6,000 more steps or close to it by moving every chance I get.Continue reading “Taking a Time-Out from Exercise”

I am happy to report that finally there is a formula that can help us calculate our “brisk” walking exercise to give us the best health benefits!

“Brisk” walking can now be calculated with a simple formula of 100 steps per minute! For seniors it’s a good way to have in mind a way to calculate if our walking exercise will be beneficial. For those of us 60 years of age or older, we may need to add more steps to this formula to satisfy the requirement, but this is a good start. And, of course, we can now go beyond 100 steps. Presently, the federal guidelines advises 30 minutes of brisk walking. That translates into 3,000 steps at the pace of 100 steps-per-minute. For those of you who want a more challenging exercise, you can try 130 steps per minute.

The study was conducted by Catrine Tudor Locke, a professor of Kinesiology at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. You can read about the study in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. It turns out that walking is the most common form of exercise. So, feel free to continue to use your feet to do just that.

I know that we have covered this topic over, and over again. However, no matter where I search for information about senior citizen fitness, the list below is repeated. Below are just a few benefits :)…

Regular exercise improves the following:

Immune Function. A healthy, strong body fights off infection and sickness more easily and more quickly. Rather than sapping energy reserves entirely, recovery from an illness will take less of a toll on the body if the person exercises regularly.

Cardio-Respiratory and Cardiovascular Function. Frequent physical activity lowers the risk of heart disease and high blood pressure. If the elderly person has hypertension, exercise will help lower their blood pressure.

Bone Density and Risk of Osteoporosis. Exercise protects against loss in bone mass. Better bone density will reduce the risk of osteoporosis, lower the risk of falling and prevent broken bones. Post-menopausal women can lose as much as 2 percent bone mass each year, and men also lose bone mass as they age. Research done at Tufts University shows that strength training can dramatically reduce this loss, help restore bones, and contribute to better balance and less fractures. Source: https://www.agingcare.com/Articles/Exercise-benefits-for-the-Elderly-95383.htm